A Hairy Situation

3/365

Evi at birth came out with one big cry, then a subtle somber whine along with very little to no hair. I remember throughout my pushing stage, the nurse saying repeatedly 'I see his hair, Gloria! You're doing so well'. At this stage I was determined to hurry up the process so I could finally meet him and witness whether he'd inherit my obnoxious hat of hair, only to find once he was out, he had very short strands of hair. His hair was so silky and delicate to the touch.

 Now, his hair has been going through some dramatic growth spurts with one single strand longer than all the rest. It's almost scary to witness what our little cheesecakes true identity is, one strand at a time, until his full head of hair is here and we see what he'll look like. I often find myself, wondering in deep thought what he'll look like when he's 15, 18 then 21. I catch myself at that moment and mutter to myself- no way, he's going to stay in those cute cloth diapers and be my baby panda forever! Mmmm..that's better!

Storm adventures

I forgot the actual day the last photo for my 365 project was taken and realized, I had taken it on Monday. So I wanted to be consistent. Which now leaves Tuesday's photo:

2/365

Evi, my colorful boy. Today we packed your stroller to the rim and made our way out to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. You were curious as to where we were going, what we were doing and why Mummy was taking so many photos. I'm so glad we packed your stroller cover, since it sprinkled just a little on our way home. You were bouncing around to the bumps of the debris on the sidewalks, till eventually you dozed off to a land far far away...

Hurricane Sandy.

These past couple of days saw winds up to 130 km an hr. A violent gust shakes the fire exits of our apartment complex as the sound of branches snapping from trees next door pummel to the ground. I was so excited to witness mother nature in its true form, fury unimaginable until it was right there before me- reality at its peak. It's hard to know what's going on outside when you're cooped up in your cozy 5th floor apartment with warmth beaming from the ceiling like a hot plate on July 4th. No need for extra layers but instead wearing minimal clothing to ensure no over-heating. But these days weren't replicas of the joy and harmony that July 4th brings. These days were swift reminders of the devastation that's taking place right before our homes, our schools and our local friends and family residences.

 

It's times like these where I remind myself of the blessings we have. The fact that we weren't at the forefront of the storm, victims to the harsh debris and flooding. We looked at the neighbors around us however who were struck badly and I can only imagine the hurt, the pain and the loss to those whose loved ones are now casualties.

Today I am grateful, tomorrow I will be grateful, and every day after.

365 Project!-Chocolate Haven

Today I decided to begin my 365 Day Photo Project of Evi. I've been inspired to do this for a long while now by a friend I've known since high school, and although I initially had planned to start on January 1st 2013, I figured, it'd still be valid if I started now. The outline of this project is to capture sentimental moments in your child's life through a photo for every day for a year. It will offer insight into the family memories, moments of joy, firsts and life of our little Panda, Evi. So without further ado here it is:

 1/365

Today you are five and a half months old and I caught you holding out your hand with intrigue, directing your gaze towards the spatula I was using to mix the batter for the chocolate cake. Puppy-eyed, you waited patiently for me to pick up the signs and let you have a little taste. Lit by wonderment, you bit down on the spatula and with the first (and only) chomp, you found yourself trying something sweet melt between your gums. This my darling is the taste of chocolate, your ticket to one of the most delicious treats this world has to offer. 

Actors Acting

It has always aggravated and disheartened me to have other Actors say that there is only one right way to go about Acting, to impose a never ending spiral into how a scene should be approached or delivered.  To accuse you of not 'fully believing' where you are in the scene or expecting more when you know you've researched so deep into the character, your efforts are still meaningless to them. I made a promise to myself long ago that I will not be intimidated by others who say I need to give up who I am, in order to be a great Actor. Sounds all too familiar, right? Well, in this Acting world I've discovered two things:- 

1. It's okay to hold onto who you are, without surrendering it to your character .

& 

2. When you get knocked down, keep asking more irritating questions, challenge what you've been taught.

This comes about from my own personal experiences in the Acting world. One thing I have learned most of all is that ideas and time are the two things that are forever changing. If you know who and what kind of person you want to become in Acting, you know where your path lies. 

I found this book recently and it is heartwarming to know that out there, most actors have defied what they've been told and seeked out a path of their own, in their own way.  It's a Must-Read!

In Character: Actors Acting

Just as you are

I want to remember you just like this, long lashes extending to the heavens, dimples like Mother's cheeks, lips like your Daddy's and 10 toes, tempting us to nibble on! 

A New Happening

Gloria Hendrickson Photography!

It's exciting to report that I'm finally taking the opportunity to work on my own business again. For the longest time I've been putting it down to concentrate on a lot of things that needed my attention such as my pregnancy in the past, our 2 month trip to Australia and various other events that made it difficult to juggle my own Photography Business. In recent however, I (along with my Husband's lovely supportive attitude) have taken full reigns of working solely on my Photography.

Though, this will not be the only thing I work on for the rest of the year and next. I'm also undergoing working towards getting back on screen in Acting again. I didn't go to Drama school for over 4 years to not use what I learned ;) But before any of this can go ahead, there's the baby steps to work up to it.

A new agenda, a new routine and a new focus.

In Other news:

This little man is becoming quite the explorer and going through some phases common to the almost 6 month old criteria:- crying when he's not picked up and being scared by strangers wherever they just simply brush his hand.

Thailand

Over the years people have always had various questions spring to mind when I mention to them that I use to be a Missionary. One question I get most often is: What is it like to be a Missionary? For most people, Missionary is associated with ideas of Bible holding believers who go from door to door, knocking and collecting donations for a greater cause. Some would say, it's all about 'witnessing' while others prefer to be left enthralled by the topic.

I was 16 when I went on my first Missionary trip overseas. I was young, explorative and thought more about others than myself (or at least, so I was told!).  A small group of class members tucked away under the wings of our teachers, headed off to South East Asia. An adventure I thought, as the plane pulled away from the departure lounge.

Thailand is a diverse country. It's filled with an array of food, people, activities and all the cultural differences you can imagine. One of the highest ranked issues in Thailand specifically however is HIV and Aids. These two epidemics spread widely across a nation flooded by the force of poverty and the diar lengths people would go to, just to make ends meet.

My Objective-  Help Raise Awareness and give support to The Children of Thailand with Aids & HIV!

Meet some of the faces of the future.

Through the smiles and happiness, these children knew nothing more other than surviving. My trip was an eye-opener, one I could never forget. Upon returning to Australia, I was determined to make it back there some day, to do what I could to bring support, better living conditions and food to their plates every day.

This saw me moving across the world for the second time, to serve in Orphanages of HIV/Aids children. Theire stories were heard and became my stories, their zest for life was still lit and I had a newfound view of what the world was all about. I can't wait to return to Thailand for the 3rd time.